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I'm gonna get by when the going get rough

I'm gonna love life 'til I'm done growing up

And when I go down

I'ma go down swinging

My eyes still smiling

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Rosebud

Tell me now: how does someone come up with Rosebud and everything it stands for at 25? Did Orson Welles think he was too old to not figure that out earlier?

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Day 29 - Misery

This movie took a swing, and ooh baby hit it out of the park! 

Let’s start with the name. Misery is the title character of an author named Paul Sheldon, who is a less than Stephen King-level writer. He write romance novels, but it looking to kill off his beloved character so that he may write more serious fare. This doesn’t get very far, of course. We have to suffer for what we truly want in this world.

Cut to: Paul Sheldon, within the first five minutes of the movie, flips his car in a Colorado snowstorm into an embankment. And what luck! A person with a crowbar saves his life. Thank goodness.

What would happen if someone who saved your life also meant to save it just for themselves? Enter Annie Wilkes, played by the truly horrifying and Oscar worthy (and winner for this role) Kathy Bates. 

The thing that makes this film so very exciting is the battle of wits that plays out between these two people. Annie just wants her favorite writer to keep her favorite literary character alive. That doesn’t sound crazy, but when you learn what she is willing to do to make this happen, including hobbling Paul, it makes you take a second look.

The best part of this film is the calmness that each scene portrays, because you know that each scene is rich with an undertone of pure evil. Paul on countless occasions plays it cool as Annie acts like a maniac. At any point it feels as though she may jump out and stab Paul, but he must pretend that won’t happen. He must be casual, enthused even, when she utters thoughts of sexual encounters between them, or even her playing critic to his writing.

Something wonderful to ponder is how a person must feel when they are forced to write a story they no longer care to write for a rabid fan. It is hell for a writer. It is demonic. Annie doesn’t mean to torture Paul, but frankly she doesn’t believe that he has feelings, wants, or even needs beyond what will keep him alive and keep him writing. I love that dynamic, because it’s so thick, so dirty, and yet juicy as hell. I want him to slip up. I want her to lose control. 

And I want the battle of wits to end with her losing and him winning, but I almost, almost, would love if she won. There is something so satisfying about asking your favorite author to write a story just the way you want. But then I remember... their decisions for the stories they tell is exactly why I love them in the first place.

I read that Stephen King in later years said this story was an allegory for his battle with addiction, and I get it. I love it. I feel deeply for him, because he doesn’t live without life altering scars, and that is a story I can empathize with deeply. 

P.S. - It is shocking/not shocking to realize that when searching for Gifs with this movie’s title, there is a notice about suicide prevention from Tumblr. I am tempted to discuss that fully rather than talk about the film, but I will say please get help if you find this post along the way. The world does need you in it. You don’t know me, but I know that about you. 

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Day &#(&$ - Dolemite Is My Name

This is going to sound nuts, but watching this film made me think of Zack and Miri Make a Porno. And although I have much love for Kevin Smith, this film is a million times better.

I had so much fun watching this movie. It was such a joy. The characters were great, and I didn’t want to be anywhere in the world than when I was watching this film. It flowed very nicely, had a lot of hilarious moments, and the heart the size of Eddie Murphy’s talent. In fact, everyone here glittered with talent. 

This film is not a remake of Dolemite, as I had originally been misinformed, but it’s about the rise of Rudy Ray Moore, an elusive, intrusive badass motherfucker who created the eponymous character. He has spirit, drive, and love that cannot be stopped. He doesn’t know the answer to every question, but his willingness to see the beauty in even the lowest oppurtunity is what makes him so great. He takes a homeless man’s rhymes and spins them into gold. He is willing to put himself on the edge of comedy to get the laugh. And what I love most - he took a chance on people to make his dreams come true. He believed in others and helped them believe in themselves. I know it sounds corny, but you will find this film to be anything but. 

While everyone was incredible, and with a cast like this one how could it not be, a standout in this film was Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who plays Dolemite’s partner in crime, Lady Reed. The relationship between Reed and Moore is so sweet and so... legit. They are a wonderful pair - a small example of how Moore lifted up those around him. I was enamored by her performance, and I really hope we continue to watch her star climb. 

I don’t know what you are doing right now, but you would probably be smart to be watching this film instead. 

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Day 23 - The Sixth Sense

This is truly a perfect movie. Watch it twice. Don’t look up spoilers. Don’t imagine anything you can’t see with your own two eyes. Listen to what’s going on and try to imagine a world without fear. You can’t.

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Day 15 - The Clovehitch Killer

What do you do when you are pretty sure your dad is really into bondage. Wait a tick... what do you do when you are pretty sure you dad is a serial killer? 

Tyler (Charlie Plummer) is wondering that same thing. His Boy Scout leader father (Dylan McDermott) has a strange collection of bondage magazines that are a little confusing. He has a photo of a woman tied up that looks a lot like the murder victim that was killed in his small town.

Tyler has a fear of ostracism but he also fears his father. Who can blame him? He grew up in a deeply religious household, where even drinking soda is taboo. He cannot fathom his father as anything but the good-spirited man he fears.

Tyler finds a local non-religious girl who is interested in the notorious Clovehitch Killer and she is pretty sure the only thing Tyler has to fear is a kinky pops. Of course, there aren’t any other suspects that we get to see, so the suspense isn’t built that strongly. 

But that isn’t what this film is about. What we are seeing here is an intimate portrait of a family drowned in 99% of stupid secrets and 1% the biggest secret any human can have.

At one point, Tyler’s father, the killer, tries to calm Tyler of his suspicions by burning all the evidence that Tyler finds. The problem then becomes that a serial killer is deprived of his trophies. This makes a dangerous man very unstable. Worse, it makes him ready to kill again in order to reclaim his enjoyment of the kill. There are a few great scenes set with McDermott where he tries to deal with his loss by recreating the photos he’s made of over the years. He hasn’t killed in years - he went legit. 

But unfortunately, without his trophies he must kill again. This film isn’t bad - it’s interesting for sure. I am surprised I don’t like it more, only because I like a good small film.  This just doesn’t feel like the right fit, but if you are looking for a good, smaller film, go for it!

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Day 14 - Ghostbusters

Is this really a scary movie, you may ask?

Okay... okay maybe it’s worth debating. there are bunch of jump scares and a several people are possessed. I think that a weenie would be scared of this movie, so it goes on the list.

Here’s the thing - I am a big fan of B-Movies and this is basically the biggest, most popular B-Movie of the 1980s. Rewatching this film makes me a little nuts, in fact. How can it be that this film was such a hit? Yes, Bill Murray and Dan Ackroyd star, and yes, they are big actors of this time, but honestly, this film doesn’t commit to celluloid anything that’s devastatingly funny or unique. Is it possible that I am suffering from a larger misunderstanding of the films of this time? The level of camp looks so familiar of the other, mostly unsuccessful B-Movies of this time. I promise you, Street Trash is very interesting, and maybe even more disgusting than this film. And yet, in order to watch that film, I need a special screening. Ghostbusters, on the other hand, is playing on Freeform.

I suppose the catchy song doesn’t hurt. Hell, it’s probably one of the best movie theme songs out there.

I struggle to understand why this film was so popular, other than I absolutely adore watching it. But the reason I love it is because of all the reasons you do. I love the cast, the storyline, and even Stay Puft Man. The reason I can’t understand why it’s popular is because it’s so campy. Did this film change the landscape? There aren’t any sexy scenes other than when Sigourney Weaver is possessed. Okay fine.

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Day 12/13 - The Babysitter

This movie subverts the idea of the young male fantasy of screwing the babysitter. Samara Weaving plays Bee, a girl who loves to take care of tween Cole. Cole wants to screw Bee, but that isn’t realistic. You know what’s also not realistic? Hot, teenage, ritualized killing. But oh man do I love it.

Cole is obviously in love with her, and what hurts so good is that Bee seems to really enjoy spending time with him.

These darn kids just want to conjure the devil. You know? What’s so bad about that? Cole is supposed to be sleeping, but instead, he is spying on Bee and her friends.

Things change when they start to mess with a nerdy kid and then murder him. Typically murder will do that. Cole tries to play it cool, but then they come for his blood, he runs. As the cool kids try to kill him, he shows a brand new courage.

Bee is sorta a different person when she chooses the devil over Cole, and then it’s Cole’s turn to kill kill kill!!!

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Day 11 - Color Out of Space

I saw this at Beyond Fest so I promise no spoilers.

Nicolas Cage stars as the father of a family who is suffering from a mysterious insanity on every level. The sky is a strange color, and the small town that they live in doesn’t know what the heck is going on.

Everyone is trying to understand what’s happening, but it really doesn’t make much of a difference. Honestly, it’s a must watch. It’s absolutely zany and bizarre and fun as hell!!

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Day 10 - I Know What You Did Last Summer

Let’s continue with the hot teens slasher series. Who are our players? Just the sexiest actors of the time. Ryan Phillips, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze, Jr, and Sarah Michelle Gellar. So, these four high school seniors get drunk, drive with abandon, and the poor kid driving the beemer hits an old man on the road and wrongly thinking they killed him, they dump him in the ocean. But... as they go to do it, they realize he survived the original hit.

Here’s a hot take from the film:

One year later, one of the girls, the innocent one, gets a note. Can you guess what it said?

The obvious letter writer is a dorky guy working down at th docks, but he is hooked to death pretty early on, so that’s not right.

Mad the suspect list increases, so do the notes. The killer, you know the one killing the kids not the reckless drivers, dresses up like in a slicker.

He goes on killing like that for a while, and then of course when he’s outsmarted by a bunch of bratty kids he dies. Or does he??

This film has a great premise, but the execution is boring. We don’t enough character development and I find myself not caring too much about any of these people. There’s nothing like a lifeless horror film to make you condone senseless killing. A quick example of this: Julie, the final girl, moves a large barrel in front of a door for no reason. Shortly after, she moves it, giving the killer an option to enter the same room she is in. Why not just leave the barrel there?

There isn’t much left to the imagination.

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Day 9 - Scream

This film wasn’t way ahead of it’s time - it was of it’s time. Did we do meta horror before Scream?

What makes this technique so delicious is the idea that we know the secret that the characters know. They know the rules of how to stay out of danger, and yet they can’t help but break those rules. They’ve seen all the movies and they love them. They quote them, and even discuss how their lives are like a movie, which they are.

So what’s the story here? A killer wearing a common Halloween Mask follows around a bunch of hot teens and terrorizes them over the phone. Then, without speaking in person, he stabs them. It’s kind of brilliant in its simplicity. In the old days, before you saw who was calling, you just had to pick up the phone. 

Halfway through the film, Jamie Kennedy’s character Randy, lays out the rules of survival:

“1. You will not survive if you have sex. 2. You will not survive if you drink or do drugs. 3. You will not survive if you say "I'll be right back". 4. Everyone is a suspect.”

Ghostface adds: 5. You will not survive if you ask "Who's there?" 6. You will not survive if you go out to investigate a strange noise.“

And of course they break the rules! Everyone is a suspect, there is sex, there is drug use, etc. What are teens in a horror film for, after all. 

As the kids try to figure out who is slashing the kids, the parents are pretty much absent. The cops suck and the press is a slag. The idea that adults can’t help teens is truly the biggest terror of them all. What do you do when literally no one else can come to your rescue? Who will protect you? You must find that inner strength.

---

What I love about this movie is the camera work. We have nearly every scene played with the camera lurking over “ghostface” victims, putting us in the point of view of the killer. Then we have the victims placed in the film as always framed out of the line of action, showing how blind they are to their terrible fates. 

This movie paces so well that you can’t help but bounce along to the beat of the film. And when the killers are revealed, you learn that movies don’t make people psycho, but rather just more creative. 

Tasty.

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Day 8 - Fright Night (1985)

Normally, people like to move forward. But not tonight. Tonight we rewind and enjoy the original after the remake.

This film begins with a mocking, trope-y version of what we think a vampire film will be, and then the idea that a teen girl won’t give it up for her horny boyfriend.

He shakes her for being a prude, and like a good 1980s girlfriend, she swallows her fear and accepts, but before he can bed her down, she decides not to sleep with her boyfriend because he is more interested than his neighbors than sex. Then, his mom all by shames then for not hooking up. Later, there is a fun little scene where the ever popular scene where a teen boy spies on his sexy neighbor. I’m wondering how prevalent the peeping Tom really is in this world considering how almost every teen boy seems to be staring at tits through binoculars.

And from there... well this movie didn’t really age well.

Jerry, the vampire, is terrorizing his next door neighbor Charlie, who is obsessed with a Vampire killer named Peter Vincent who has a local television show. Charlie finds Vincent and convinces him to help kill his neighbor. His friends try and convince him to stop, but he is determined.

The tough part about this premise is a man in his late 30s, or maybe late 300s considering his vampire state, hooking up with a young teen girl. We don’t have a problem with it because it’s a movie! It’s a vampire! He doesn’t have to follow the rules. Rules are for tools. Jerry ain’t no tool.

Jerry takes Charlie’s girlfriend to his place and we’ll you know it’s an 80s film so the good guy has a pretty distinct advantage by living in such a strong, protagonist-loving era. If there is any sort of social commentary here... I’m not sure I caught it.

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Day 7  - Fright Night

This film is 2011 incarnate. Anton Yelchin, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Colin Farrell, Toni Colette, and David Tennant. Wow. Wow wow.

A newly popular teen realizes his next door neighbor is a Vampire... and trying to sleep with his mom. He goes to a Vamprie-loving magician for advice on how to kill him.

Jerry (Colin Farrell) plays said Vampire neighbor, and everyone pretty much ignores him murdering everyone in town because he’s super hot. It’s a great, absolutely rediculous premise.

Anton Yelchin plays the neighbor boy Charley, and he is the only one who sees through him immediately. It’s only when Jerry sets his house on fire does everyone start to believe his story.

After Charley’s mom stakes Jerry with a realtor’s sign, they go for help. But who can help with this sort of problem? Not the police, and certainly not Charley’s hot girlfriend. Luckily, the magician (David Tennant) is ready to tell the secrets of how to kill the vampire, but there isn’t much to know except don’t get bit.

I don’t know... this isn’t a bad movie, but it’s not exactly brimming with power. The stakes feel pretty low. Maybe it’s that I don’t particular like any of the characters. None of them are so great I want them to be saved. Screw it... take a bite and call me in the morning.

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Day 6 - You Might Be the Killer

After the intensity of Climax, I needed to slow it down a bit. Thus, day 6 is You Might Be the Killer. 

A movie more in style of Tucker and Dale vs Evil than Goodnight Mommy. 

Fran Kranz plays Sam, the owner of a camp and a seriously confused man. He calls friend Chuck (Alyson Hannigan) to ask her to help put some disturbing pieces together which includes a madman running around the camp and killing basically everyone. 

Quickly we learn that all is not what it seems. It’s a fine entry into the genre to mix up the concept of who the killer might be. It’s clear very early on who the killer is, and pretty soon after that the rules of his game. What the film drives with is what to do with that information. How to stop him without killing any more people. It’s harder than it should be in this senario. 

This film’s conceit is clever, but I wouldn’t necessarily say the concept has the strength on it’s own to fill a whole film. It’s not compelling enough for me, at least. At the beginning of the film we believe nearly everyone is dead, so when we see their deaths throughout the film, there is no shock value that comes with a slasher. We already know everyone will be slashed, and that takes the fun out of it. 

However, I will say that watching a scared person be the vessel for a killer is compelling, and since it’s not too intense of a film, it goes down pretty easily. 

The twists and turns at the end liven it up, but I still don’t think that this film really belongs anywhere but on SyFy, where the fan base is sure to enjoy this, but not put too much stock into viewing.

On a final note, I do love Fran Kranz’s frequent persona of a put-upon everyman. There is something very sincere yet silly about his performance. As for Alyson Hannigan -- well she’s phoning it in. 

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Day 5 - Climax

Climax begins with an apology. Here lies everyone and everything that has been associated with the making of this film.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s dance!

We meet the members of a dance squad as they audition and then preform a dance sequence that will bond them together and fill them with crazy strong sexual tension. As a little tip to what’s to come, we see the auditions of the crew framed by what are not doubt Gaspar Noe’s references.

And unless you were unable to look away from your phone and not read the subtitles for this French film, it is completely obvious that somebody spiked a celebratory sangria made by one of the dancers.

After a pretty sick dance circle, we get a crazy film reset. It’s almost perfectly at the halfway point of the film.

And that’s when the drugs kick in. Someone put LSD in the drink and everyone is a suspect as they all go mad from the dose.

The good trips are dancing and the bad ones are truly suffering. Often we don’t see outcome of a dancer who wanders off camera in mortal peril. As the group continues to search for a culprit, telling one to kill herself as she soberly slashes her own flesh in punishment. The terror is palpable.

With Climax we are treated to a trip gone wrong, and while the first half of the story is a benign party, the second half is disorienting in a hyper realistic drug-fulled nightmare. Everyone is alone, but their feelings bring them together, mostly through hate. It’s a simultaneous feeling of terror and curiousity. We don’t enough with some of these characters to decide if they are deserving of any suffering, but morality isn’t at play here. Everyone slowly descends into their basest form of human nature, incest included.

In the cold light of morning, we see the harsh realities of our characters’ drug-fueled night, and it isn’t pretty.

This film would make a great NC-17 trap haunted house.

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At Your Service.

Announcing JustWatch integration (with support for streaming providers in over 30 countries) and ‘Favorite services’, a new feature that allows paid members to select the streaming services they subscribe to, and browse or filter by them individually or together.

We’re ecstatic to announce a new partnership with JustWatch, the most comprehensive streaming search engine on the internet. For our members, this means a number of positive changes that will help you find new content to watch on the services you subscribe to. Here’s a look at what’s new:

Improved streaming data

Our previous approach to streaming availability was largely restricted to the US market, and relied on search to match titles between us and our supplier, a process that often led to incorrect or misleading data. Other complicating factors meant it could sometimes take weeks to receive updates when titles arrived on, or departed from, individual services. No more!

JustWatch has accurate streaming data for services in more than 30 countries, and—thanks to a shared ID space and a superior transfer method—we’ll receive complete daily updates to keep everything in sync. In the US market, for example, JustWatch monitors well over 100 streaming services, including:

Amazon Video (and Prime Video)

Apple iTunes

Criterion Channel

Epix

Fandango Now

Google Play Movies

HBO Now (and Go)

Hulu

Kanopy

Microsoft Movies

Netflix

Showtime

Tribeca Shortlist

Vudu

YouTube (including free and Premium)

and dozens more…

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